The Stars of the White Nights is one of the brightest
stars of the music and theatre universe and has emerged to be one of the most
popular and grandiose music forums in its context and scale.

The Stars of the White Nights Festival was created in
1993 by Valery Gergiev, Mariinsky Theatre Artistic and
General Director. Maestro Gergiev says that he conceived the first Festival as a
"musical gift" to the city from the Mariinsky and its star-artists. From the
very beginning the Festival has been focused on the masterpieces of the world's
music discovering for its audience some rarely performed or undeservedly
forgotten pieces.

The Stars of the White Nights Festival has gained in
strength, popularity and international acclaim. The duration for the Festival it
has expanded from ten days to three months during the last sixteen year.
Renowned conductors and star-artists take as great honour the invitation to
perform at the Stars of the White Nights. Each year the Festival
programme includes the Theater's finest opera and ballet productions, great
symphonic works, masterpieces of chamber music and new premieres.

During
the last years the Festival programme has included the works created by the
great classical composers – Beethoven symphonies, Prokofiev's and Tchaikovsky's operas, ballets and
symphony music. Major events at the Stars have included the production
of Wagner's Der Ring des
Nibelungen, in addition to the Shostakovich and Mahler Symphonies
series.

This festival is a must for ballet, opera and classical music
amateurs. The annual Stars of the White Nights Festival takes an
inspiration for its name from the short summer season when the sun never sets,
and the beauty of St-Petersburg White Nights contributes to the festival's
special atmosphere and its world-class programme of concerts, as audience comes
out of the historic theatre at midnight into daylight to stroll along the
streets of the theatrical setting of St Petersburg.

"The Stars of the White Nights
2014"28 May - 31
July 2014 The Mariinsky Theatre, the Mariinsky-II and the Concert Hall
Artistic Director: Maestro Valery
Gergiev

From May 28 to July 31 will
take place the 22 Music Festival "Stars of the White Nights" -
a traditional summer parade of musical events, attracting the attention of a
wide range of fans of classical music, opera and ballet. During the 65 days of the festival about
200 events will be held including 113 performances (58 operas, 55 ballets), 80
chamber and symphony concerts with the participation of guest
artists, Mariinsky opera and ballet soloists as well as Mariinsky
Chorus and Orchestra. Premiers of the opera and ballets are announced in the
playbill of the Fesival along with concert tour orchestras, opera, ballet and
drama troupes , performances by renowned dancers , singers , instrumentalists
and conductors .

The XXII Stars of the White
Nights music festival will open with the premiere of "Les Troyens", an opera
by Hector Berlioz directed by Yannis Kokkos
who is making his second joint project with Mariinsky Theatre. The epic
dilogy conducted by Maestro Valery Gergiev will be presented
in Mariinsky-2 on May 28, 29 and 30 The festival ballet programme will be opened
by the season premiere of the ballet by Frederick
Ashton "Sylvia" (Mariinsky Theatre, May 28 and 29, 22 and 27 June).

The first concert
of the symphony concert programme will take place in Mariinsky II
on May 31. Mariinsky soloists with the Mariinsky Chorus
and Orchestra conducted by maestro Valery Gergiev will perform the Glagolitic
Mass by Leos Janacek as well as the Cello Concerto
by Robert Schumann (with Mario Brunello as a soloist). The concert is
dedicated to the memory of Richard Colburn, the theatre’s
friend and art patron.

Another opera premiere
of the festival is the grandiose "War and Peace" by Sergey Prokofiev staged
by the British director Graham Vick with Paul Brown
as a production designer. The first performance conducted
by Maestro Valery Gergiev will be held
in Mariinsky-2 on July 15 and 16.

The Richard Wagner theatre.
Mariinsky Theatre is the only theatre in Russia where
the grand creation by Richard Wagner, the tetralogy Der Ring des
Nibelungen is performed in full. In 1990s, following
a nearly one-hundred years’ gap, Valery Gergiev initiated the Warner
Renaissance in the theatre. On June 4, 5, 7 and 8Mariinsky-2 will present the Der Ring des
Nibelungen conducted by Maestro Valery Gergiev. On June 16Mariinsky-2 will feature "Lohengrin", an opera which was returned
to the theatre repertoire recently. And then, at the closing
event of the festival on July 31, the outstanding soloists, Evgeny Nikitin, Mlada
Khudoley, Mikhail Petrenko and Segey Skorokhodov will perform
the leading roles in "The Flying
Dutchman".

The St.-Petersburg
premiere of Rodion Shchedrin’s Boyarina Morozova conducted by Maestro Valery Gergiev will be held
in Mariinsky-2 on June 22 (concert performance). This is a Russian
choral opera in two parts for four soloists, mixed chorus, trumpet,
kettledrums and percussion. The opera, which has been described
as one of the most outstanding works of the decade, is
based on the texts of The Life
of the Archpriest Avvakum and The Life
of Boyarina Morozova and deals with an extremely dramatic event
of the Russian history, the religious schism
of the 17th century.

Three ballet companies will take part
in the festival. Scottish Ballet (Glasgow) will present "Highland Fling", a reworking of the classic romantic
ballet La Sylphide choreographed by the famous Matthew Bourne
(June 18 and 19). Alexander Spendiaryan State Academic Opera
and Ballet Theater of Armenia will perform Gayaneh in the historic venue
of the Mariinsky Theatre (July 22 and 23). Astana Ballet will present Oriental Phapsody (July 26 and 27).

Special events.
The baroque ensemble “Les Arts Florissants” is one of the most famous
groups of its kind. Founded in 1979 by the Franco-American
harpsichordist and conductor William Christie, the ensemble takes its
name from an opera by Marc-Antoine Charpentier. The group consists
of a choir, an orchestra and soloists. In St.-Petersburg
the musicians will present a programme titled “Arias and dances
by Jean-Philippe Rameau” on the occasion
of the 250th anniversary of the composer’s death.
The programme will be conducted
by Jonathan Cohen (June 27). Teatro Regio di Torino will perform Requiem by Giuseppe Verdi with Maria Agresta, Daniela Barcellona, Fabio
Sartori, Michele Pertusi, Chorus and Orchestra of Teatro Regio
conducted by Gianandrea Noseda (Mariinsky-2, July 9).

String quartets in the festival
programme.Atrium String Quartet, one of the leading
young ensembles on the music scene, will perform on July 1 and 2 with a programme of quartets by Jakob Felix
Mendelssohn. These charismatic musicians with their deep emotion, virtuosity
and technical brilliance, are highly acclaimed by audiences
and the press throughout the world. The State Borodin Quartet, old friends
of the Mariinsky Theatre, will play pieces by Pyotr Tchaikovsky,
Alexander Borodin and Franz Schubert, July 15.

For the first time this year the festival programme will
include a drama performance. On June 10 and 11 the Moscow Chekhov Art Theatre will present The Little Humpbacked Horse directed by Evgeny Pisarev
in Mariinsky-2.

Concerts in chamber halls of Mariinsky-2.
The programme of the 22ndStars
of the White Nights festival will, for the first time,
include concerts and lectures that will be held in Mariinsky-2 chamber
halls: Stravinsky Foyer, the Musorgsky Hall, the Shchedrin Hall
and the Prokofiev Hall. Mariinsky Orchestra soloists and students
of the Mariinsky Academy of Young Singers will perform their
interesting programmes solo or in duos, trios and chamber ensembles.

In ballet performances of the
Mariinsky Theatre will be performances with a guest soloists: Ludmila Pagliero
(Paris Opera) will perform the title role in "La Sylphide" (May 30), Olga Smirnova (Bolshoi Theatre) will perform Nikia in
"La Bayadere" (July 12) .

Pyotr Tchaikovsky's ballet "Swan Lake", "card" of the Mariinsky Theatre, will be
shown at the Mariinsky New Stage (12 and 13 June), and the historical Mariinsky Theatre (July 6) .

About "The Stars of the White Nights"
Festivals

The Stars of the White
Nights is one of the brightest stars of the music and theatre universe and
has emerged to be one of the most popular and grandiose music forums in its
context and scale.

The Stars of the White Nights Festival was created in
1993 by Maestro Valery Gergiev, Mariinsky Theatre Artistic and
General Director.Maestro Gergiev says that he conceived the first Festival as a
"musical gift" to the city from the Mariinsky and its star-artists. From the
very beginning the Festival has been focused on the masterpieces of the world's
music discovering for its audience some rarely performed or undeservedly
forgotten pieces.

The Stars of the White Nights Festival has gained in
strength, popularity and international acclaim. The duration for the Festival it
has expanded from ten days to three months during the last sixteen year.
Renowned conductors and star-artists take as great honour the invitation to
perform at the Stars of the White Nights. Each year the Festival
programme includes the Theater's finest opera and ballet productions, great
symphonic works, masterpieces of chamber music and new premieres.

During
the last years the Festival programme has included the works created by the
great classical composers – Beethoven symphonies, Prokofiev's and Tchaikovsky's operas, ballets and
symphony music. Major events at the Stars have included the production
of Wagner's Der Ring des
Nibelungen, in addition to the Shostakovich and Mahler Symphonies
series.

This festival is a must for ballet, opera and classical music
amateurs. The annual Stars of the White Nights Festival takes an
inspiration for its name from the short summer season when the sun never sets,
and the beauty of St-Petersburg White Nights contributes to the festival's
special atmosphere and its world-class programme of concerts, as audience comes
out of the historic theatre at midnight into daylight to stroll along the
streets of the theatrical setting of St Petersburg.